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BERLIN — Top officials from Germany’s governing Christian Democrats (CDU) on Monday backed party chief Armin Laschet’s bid to be the conservative candidate to succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor.
Laschet is in a standoff for the conservative camp’s nomination with Markus Söder, the leader of the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union. Both men declared Sunday they’re ready to run to replace Merkel in September’s general election, when the veteran chancellor plans to bow out.
Volker Bouffier, the CDU premier of the state of Hesse, said there was a broad majority in favor of Laschet’s bid at a meeting of the party’s executive committee on Monday morning, although no official decision was taken.
“We have expressed our clear support for our party leader and made it clear that we consider him to be exceptionally suitable,” Bouffier said.
Laschet, however, is under pressure from some CDU officials to step aside in favor of Söder, whose opinion poll ratings are much stronger. That pressure grew on Monday when the CDU branch in the state of Berlin said it supports Söder’s candidacy.
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